


The Prince's Guard

by SummerLeighWind



Series: Long Live the Prince [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Secrets, Future Fic, Gen, Horcruxes, Minor Character Death, Secrets, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 19:52:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3423506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerLeighWind/pseuds/SummerLeighWind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eileen Snape-Prince has been entrusted with a family heirloom and she plans to protect it with her entire life until the day comes she must pass it onto the next Snape-Prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Prince's Guard

Willing her great-grandpa's study door to unlock, Eileen Snape-Prince gave a toothy grin when the aged-gold knob turned easily in her fingers. Pushing the door open, the long-limbed girl wasted no time in hurrying in and closing the door behind her. Taking several steps into her great-grandpa's study, she paused in the middle to admire the mosaic scene that was her great-grandpa's window.

It was an alluring image. A lone woman in green among a sea of black robes and bone-white masks standing victorious beside the slumped body of their ruler upon his throne. Her great-grandpa liked telling Eileen the story of her namesake - how Eileen Prince had killed a man that called himself the Dark Lord because her son, Severus, envisioned his deaths at the hands of the man.

No Prince woman had ever had more mettle, he'd insisted time and time again.

Eileen did not know if this was true, but her great-grandpa, Tybalt Snape-Prince, was her namesake's grandson. He had known Eileen (and her son) intimately and so, she trusted his word on the matter. Her great-grandpa had liked to show her pictures of them - of Eileen's namesake especially. He knew she liked studying them, seeing if any of the Prince's traits still stood prominent in her bloodline several generations later. The girl was very sure that the smirk she and her father shared was once the one her ancestor had worn and Eileen knew, without doubt, that their ears were exactly the same. They were flat against their heads, long and had nearly no lobes to speak of.

Unfortunately, that was were their similarities seemed to end. It was the Snape blood that weathered the years, it was where her nose came from, where her limp hair and night-black eyes came from. Musing on the Prince that was also a Snape, Eileen recalled what her great-grandpa had told her about his father, Severus.

Never had there been a more unearthly man, he'd said. Her ancestor, according to the old man, had seen and done more than most of mankind combined. He'd foresaw the deaths of not only himself, but of his contemporaries, elders and juniors. Severus, who'd avoided his predicted death, had been struck with new visions of a different future the first time he held her great-grandpa when he was born.

In those visions, he saw a resurgence of the Dark Lord's followers, he saw them bring together odds and ends and from those things, they revived the man Eileen's namesake had assassinated. It was said, that her ancestor had gone on a harrowing journey to destroy all those things that would be used to bring back the Dark Lord.

He'd lost a leg and part of his own soul in his mission to keep the dead man gone, but her great-grandpa swore it was because it had to be done.

" _It_ had  _to be done, you see? Eileen, he destroyed them - but he had to make a horcrux of his own, in case he_ missed  _one. He didn't want any of his descendants having to do what he had to do if he could avoid it. He was the truest hero I've ever had the pleasure to know and love...You understand, don't you my dear Eileen?" the old man pleaded with his dulled black eyes teary._

_Taking the old man's papery hand in hers, Eileen had swallowed back her revulsion and said, "I do, grandpa Tybalt."_

And that was why she was in her great-grandpa's study today of all days. He was dead. Just like his dad and just like Eileen's namesake and soon, his study would be turned into her brother's. He'd just finished his last year at Hogwarts only a month ago and mum and dad had thought giving him a study of his own would put him on the right path to becoming the ministry official they envisioned him being someday.

At thirteen, Eileen felt it was terribly unfair they were giving the room with the shrine to her namesake to her brother. He did not care about family history and lore - not like she. He'd look at the stained glass window and he would not see the beauty she saw. Due to his ignorance, he'd see a woman surrounded by death.

Quickly hurrying toward her grandpa Tybalt's cherry oak desk, she remembered his instructions to her - open the top left drawer, take out the stack of parchment he kept in there and reach all the way to the back of the drawer. There, Eileen would have to push at it until the wood gave and revealed the hideaway hole that had been made years before her and even her great-grandpa's birth.

Going through the actions, Eileen felt around the little hole and just as she heard the sound of footsteps outside her great-grandpa's study, her fingers touched a cool, smooth surface. Grabbing it and wrenching her hand from the drawer, Eileen slammed it back into place and stuffed the horcrux into the pocket of denim skirt.

Door opening, she kept her shoulders square and forced her eyes wide as she saw her parents step in with her older brother behind them.

"Eileen," her mum murmured, "What are you doing in here?"

Squeezing out a trickle of tears, the girl sniffed, "I-"

"Did you coming look for a memento of your grandpa's?" Eileen's dad asked softly.

Wiping at her wet eyes, the thirteen year old shrugged and let her parents come over to "comfort" her as her brother watched with a suspicious eye. Eileen didn't like Nero. She thought there was an odd sort of coldness to her brother and she didn't trust him - it was also probably why her great-grandpa passed the horcrux onto her and not him.

The old man had known just as well as she there was something off about her brother.

Wrapped up in her mum's arms, Eileen whimpered, "I'm just going to m-miss him, so,  _so_ much, mum!"

"You two were very close," she whispered in reply, "It's only natural, my love."

Letting herself be fussed over for several more moments, Eileen pointed to the drawer where the old man used to keep his pipe. "Can I take grandpa Tybalt's pipe?" she asked.

Her dad got it out for her and put it in her arms, "If that's what you want, my dear," he agreed.

Nodding, she accepted the hugs and kisses that her parents gave her before taking the steps to leave the study. "I think I'll go lie down," she told her parents.

"Whatever you want, my love," her mum smiled sadly.

On her way out, Eileen didn't miss in the slightest how Nero's gaze followed her. He knew she was putting on an act and he'd probably come hunting later when her parents were out and granny dozing in one of the manor's parlors.

But, that was neither here nor there.

Coming to her room, a place done up beautifully in whites and silvers, Eileen dove under her bed and dug out the horcrux from her pocket. It was a ring - one with the Prince crest on it. Just like - the girl frowned. Was the one her dad now wore just a replica? Could it be that Severus had sealed a part of his soul up in the family ring and made a replica as to ensure no one knew?

It could be, the thirteen year old thought, her great-grandpa had told her that Severus had passed the horcrux onto him on his death bed and he was the first in the family to know what he'd done besides the man himself.

He'd been ashamed of the atrocity, Eileen bet.

 _As he should be..._ a cruel part of her murmured in the recesses of her mind.

Wriggling back out from beneath her bed, Eileen set off for her closet where she'd already begun to make her own secret hideaway place for the horcrux. She'd keep it there for now. Eileen would have to find a way to take it to Hogwarts with her. Nero probably wouldn't be so methodical in his searching he'd find the hiding spot when she was gone, but she still didn't like the idea of taking chances with her ancestor's soul.

Opening up a velvet lined box, the girl could not stop herself from turning it over several times in her hands. Eileen felt her lips quirk in a smirk as she told the ring, "Don't worry, Severus, I'll make sure you're kept safe."

And she would protect it with her life until the time came she either needed to revive the man or it became time to pass it onto her own child or grandchild.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and let me know what you think with a comment and/or kudo!


End file.
